“I will bless the Lord at all times.” Ps 34:1 NKJV

If you shout your lungs out at a ball game on Saturday but sit silent and subdued when it’s time to worship God on Sunday, maybe you’re more excited about sports than spiritual matters. Ouch! A great definition of worship is “worth-ship.” What worth do you place on God and your relationship with Him? You say, “But sometimes I don’t feel like praising God.” Feelings have little to do with it! A good relationship isn’t based on emotion but on commitment. The Bible says, “Let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (Heb13:15 NKJV). Note the words “continually” and “sacrifice.” With God, the praise that costs is the praise that counts! Imagine someone with a good job, a good family, and good health praising the Lord in church. Now imagine somebody living alone, shut in by sickness, who raises his or her feeble arms and lifts their voice in praise. Which one do you think gets the highest marks? The Psalmist said, “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord’s name is to be praised” (Ps 113:3). This Psalmist scheduled praise-breaks throughout his day: “Seven times a day do I praise thee” (Ps 119:164). We have tea and coffee breaks; he had praise-breaks! If you want to change your environment and your attitude, start prais- ing God throughout the day. Not only will you bless the Lord, He will bless you in a hundred and one different ways. Don’t take anybody else’s word for it—try it and see!

James 3:9-18

9 With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God ; 10 from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. 11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs ? Nor can salt water produce fresh.
Wisdom from Above
13 Who among you is wise and understanding ? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. 18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

In all our daily choices, we either “sow to the flesh” or “sow to the Spirit” (Gal. 6:8). With our actions and thoughts, we plant seeds that affect what kind of person we’re growing into and the level of impact our lives will have for God.
“The flesh” is the part of us that wants to live and act independently of the Lord. As humans, all of us have to deal with the pull of this attitude; we don’t lose it automatically when we’re saved. However, the Holy Spirit frees us from slavery to the flesh. He begins to change us so we can turn from the deceptive lure of living for self and instead start to live according to the truth. The choices we make contribute to the process of transformation, and when they’re in alignment with the Spirit’s work, they plant good seed that results in even more new growth.
When you’re sowing to the Spirit, you’re accepting God’s truth into your mind and heart. Then you’ll begin to experience eternal life, which comes from truly knowing the Lord (John 17:3). The fruit of the Spirit grows naturally from these seeds of godly truth and influences every aspect of your life. When you feed your spirit with the things of God, you’re going to become stronger, more Christlike, and more full of His life in your thoughts and actions.
Are you feeding your spirit and the wellspring of your life, or are you feeding the part of you that wants to act independently of God? Do your choices sow seeds that are building you up, making you different, and letting streams of living water flow from you to nourish others (John 7:37-39)?

The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.” Ps 119:130 NKJV

In order for you to be instrument rated, an instructor will accompany you on your training missions. The instructor will place a long-billed cap on your head, so that all you can see is the instrument panel in front of you. That’s because this is all you’ll be able to see when you’re flying in storm conditions. You must learn to work your instruments and radio, doing many turns and being able to bring the plane down within a few feet of the landing strip. And you must do all this without ever looking to see where you are, without the confirmation of your senses. This simulated blindness, causing confusion to the average person, is soon overcome by disciplined training. The flights “under the hood,” as the procedure’s called, become merely routine flights. What happens when unprepared Christians are plunged into darkness by the trials of life? They begin to question what’s happening. Everything was going well; all they could see ahead was fair weather. But now they’ve lost their sense of direction because they have not spent time in God’s Word. They have not been taught to trust God regardless of what they see or feel, so they get discouraged, sometimes backslide, and sometimes even blame God and get swallowed up in bitterness. Paul writes to Timothy, “Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skilfully teaching] the Word of Truth” (2Ti 2:15 AMP).

Luke 24:44-53
44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

The principle we will explore today is basic but so powerful that it determines whether we experience victory in our lives.
You are probably familiar with the book The Little Engine That Could, in which a small engine keeps repeating the words “I think I can.” By using sheer willpower, she pulls an entire train over the mountain. That’s a nice children’s story, but the truth of the Christian life is very different. In the real world, our efforts and determination often fall short. Only by walking in the power of the Holy Spirit can the godly life be achieved.
Throughout the Old Testament, God’s Spirit would temporarily come upon saints for a particular work. However, after Jesus ascended to heaven, He sent the Spirit to dwell permanently within each believer. Consider what this means: If you’re a Christian, God is living inside of you, available to help all through life by providing guidance, comfort, and empowerment.
Obedience to Christ is too difficult for anyone relying on his own strength. And discerning what to do in every situation is far too complicated for a fleshly mind. For some reason, though, Christians often try to live life by depending on their own energy and reasoning. Defeat and failure are unavoidable without His power in our lives.
Do you recognize your need for the Lord? Begin each day confessing your dependence upon Him. Ask to be filled with His Spirit so that all you think, do, and say will be an overflow from Him. Then trust Him to work in mighty ways through you. Watch what almighty God can do.

“The precepts of the Lord are right…giving light to the eyes.”     Ps 19:8 NIV

In their effort to steer around one storm, many pilots end up in another that’s even worse. But the instrument-rated pilot can fly directly into it. He can be totally socked in, yet watch his instruments and fly without fear. But in order to do this he must have many hours of training in simulated storm conditions. Trouble, to him, is normal. He has gone through it many times and knows what to do in an emergency. He knows how to use his radio and receive help from the radar centers. He knows how to stay on the radio beams that are crisscrossing the skies for his safety. The mountain that suddenly looms before him first shows up on the controller’s radar scope, so the controller can guide the straying plane around it. Actually, if a pilot is not instrument rated, it’s illegal for him to be in a storm. Why? Because if he hasn’t taken the time, or felt it important to do his homework and be prepared – the billions of dollars’ worth of navigation equipment is no use to him. How do you prepare for the storms of life? By spending time in God’s Word. In-depth knowledge of your Bible is necessary if you’re to be “certified” to navigate life’s storms. If you wait until trouble comes to find a Scripture to help you, you have waited too long. One Bible teacher says, “If your mouth will feed your heart faith when you don’t need it, your heart will feed your mouth faith when you do.”